Oxygen tubes are often used by a patients that require oxygen or other gases over long periods of time. The tubes generally require a cannula apparatus such as a nasal cannula generally includes an oxygen-carrying tube with two branches capable of being draped over the ears of a patient. Two tubular branches are usually joined together in front of the patient's face with a center part providing two nostril orifices. In order to keep the orifices of the nasal cannula remain in contact with the patient's nostrils in use, the tubular branches of the nasal cannula are often supported by the patient's ears. Here, the tubular branches function as an earpiece to hold the cannula apparatus in place.
However, the extensive use of a nasal cannula often irritates and causes discomfort to the patient. The current nasal cannula apparatuses fail to provide necessary support in relieving the pressure of the cannula from the patient's ears, face, neck, and skin. As a result, discomfort above and behind the patient's ears is a common occurrence. Often the discomfort can start off with a simple redness and progress to sores or ulcerations above the ears due to constant rubbing of the tubing against the skin.
An additional problem occurs with moving patients. Many mobile patients that require the constant administration of oxygen use at least a 50-foot cannula within their homes. Since a longer cannula is required for a freely moving patient, the additional weight from the longer cannula causes a substantial increase in pressure against the skin and areas that support and hold the cannula. Further, the combination of the moving patient and long cannula can often cause the cannula to snag on furniture or other objects located around the patient. To avoid this problem a common practice to alleviate discomfort often will require the patient to physically hold the cannula all the time. However, the patient constantly having to hold the cannula while they move about will limit the patient to only being able to have use of one free hand during the day.
While a patient is resting or sleeping, it is not unusual for the cannula to be accidentally displaced or pulled away from the patient's ears, face, neck, and skin. The displacement and pulling action can aggravate irritations and/or soreness associated with the use of the cannula. Also, if the tubular branches of a nasal cannula are separated from the patient's ears, the nostril orifices can move out of contact with the patient's nostrils and render the cannula ineffective for its intended use and uncomfortable to the patient.
Currently, there are a variety of devices available that attempt to alleviate these problems. Some of these devices do so by removing the cannula from the patient's ears. Other variations of relief include the use of a head cap to support and secure the cannula as well as for securing the cannula to eye glasses. However, by attaching the cannula to eyeglasses or to a skull cap is that the patient cannot comfortably wear the eyeglasses or the skull cap when sleeping. Additionally, skull caps need to be sized for each user.
A device used to prevent irritation generated by a cannula has included a strap-like device adapted to be draped on top of a patient's head. The strap-like devices have two looped ends through which the tubular branches of the cannula are routed. If the length of the strap-like device is appropriately sized, the tubular branches will be suspended above the patient's ears as the strap device is draped across the patient's head.
However, strap-like devices are limited in that when the tubular branches are supported within the ends of the strap-like device, the tubular portions can shift lengthwise relative to the end of the device. Further, a strap-like device does little to alleviate the problem of snagging and pulling of the cannula for the moving patient.
Sometimes ear pads that are placed behind the patient's ears to help alleviate the discomfort of the cannula rubbing against the ear. However, since the pads do not provide a means for controlling the tension and pressure created by a cannula, the pads do not eliminate all the discomfort associated with the use of a cannula. Pads are sometimes placed over areas already irritated by the cannula, which can slow the healing process around that area. Further, these pads must often be replaced, making them an expensive and inefficient technique for overcoming the discomfort caused by a cannula.
Some types of clips for medical tubing have been used to fixed items to beds or clothing. The area for holding the medical tubing is not located along the surface of the clip but rather along an elongate strip attached to the clip. By placing the medical tube holder on a strip and not directly on the clip, such devices are less effective in alleviating the pressure generated by the cannula against the patient's skin and ears because the strip can bend under the weight of the cannula or when the cannula is snagged against an object. Further, a restive sleeping patient can dislodge the cannula, or even the elongate strip, thus rendering the common clip ineffective for its intended purpose.
Another tube/wire holding device designed for maintaining the position of medical tubes is a mesentery tube holder apparatus with a base plate that would adhere to a patient's skin. A flap with one end permanently affixed to the base plate holds a tube by having an opposite end that adheres to a medical tube. Such fasteners can be difficult to use and ineffective in relieving the pressure of the cannula from the ears. Moreover, the adhesives can irritate skin making such devices undesirable for extended use.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.